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The Dynamic Catholic Ambassadors Club.

You're awesome.

Your greatest ability is your availability.

Okay. And go.

The grace of God is—

Transformative.

Merciful.

Available.

Mysterious.

You are a miracle.

The life of John Paul II staggers the imagination. He preached the dignity of the human person with astounding clarity and confronted tyranny with unmatched courage. He traversed the globe, preaching the gospel, visited 129 countries, traveling 775,000 miles, roughly 31 times around the Earth, and spoke to more than 500 million people live. He is universally acknowledged as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. He worked tirelessly to build a moral foundation in the modern world, played a critical role in overthrowing communism and fostering peace, and was constantly reaching out to heal historic rifts. Pope John Paul II demonstrated that the life Jesus invites us to live has an overwhelming attraction. In every place, in every time, everywhere he went, John Paul II captured the imagination and intrigued the hearts of people of all ages. Even the secular media was enamored with the life of this great man. On April 2nd, 2005, at 84 years of age, Pope John Paul II died in Rome. At his solemn funeral mass, in a gathering of the mighty and the meek, with presidents and kings looking on, the pilgrims in St. Peter's Square chanted, "Santo Subito," calling for the Church to declare John Paul II a saint now.

It took 3,312 days, 9 years and 25 days, the fastest in modern history. Therese of Lisieux took 28 years. John Vianney, 66 years. Pius X took 40 years. Maximilian Kolbe took 41 years. Oscar Romero took 38 years. Mother Teresa took 19 years. Pope John Paul II was an extraordinary man. But the Catholic Church doesn't declare a person a saint because that person was popular, influential, admired, or accomplished. It is about holiness, and the process is grueling. Before a saint is canonized, he or she is beatified. Before a saint is beatified, he or she is declared venerable. And before a saint is declared venerable, he or she is declared a servant of God. When the church declares a person to be a servant of God, it is saying, "This life is worthy of serious investigation." During this phase, the writings, speeches, letters, and personal records of the person are examined, and witnesses who knew the person are interviewed under oath. When the church declares a person to be venerable, it is saying, "This person lived a life of heroic virtue." To determine if a person lived a life of heroic virtue, the church explores how the person responded to suffering, injustice, or obscurity, whether they practiced forgiveness, humility, obedience, and patience, their faithfulness in ordinary duties, and their reputation for holiness among those who knew them best. The church is saying, "This person lived an extraordinarily faithful Christian life." And the church recognizes these lives not to exalt the person, but to say to the world, "This way of living is possible. This kind of holiness can be lived. You can do this." The next two steps after the person has been declared venerable are beatification and canonization. And a miracle is required for each of these steps. For a person to be canonized a saint, the church requires two verified miracles, usually healings that occur after the person's death and are attributed to that person's intercession. The church is relentless in verifying these miracles. Medical boards made up of secular physicians examine the evidence. Diagnoses must be clear. Prognosis must be grave. Healing must be rapid, complete, and lasting. The case must be declared inexplicable by the most current medical and scientific understanding. Only then does the church move forward. For Pope John Paul II, two such miracles were confirmed in the years following his death. The first involved a French nun named Sister Marie Simon Pierre. She had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the same illness that visibly affected John Paul II in the final years of his life. After John Paul II's death on April 5th, 2005, her religious community began praying specifically for his intercession. But by June of 2005, Sister Marie Simone Pierre had reached the limits of her strength. In her words, "On June 1st, I had reached the end. The pain was unbearable and the tremors were growing much worse. I struggled to keep standing and go forward." She went to her superior, Sister Marie Thomas, and asked to be relieved of her duties in the maternity ward. Her superior listened with kindness. She reminded her that the community had been praying for her healing. Then, without warning, Sister Marie Thomas handed her a pen and asked her to write the name John Paul II. Sister Marie Simone Pierre was startled. She could no longer write legibly. She refused at first. Three times, her superior insisted. Finally, with great effort, she wrote the name. The letters were distorted and barely legible. The superior looked at the paper, fell silent, and then said calmly, John Paul II has not had his last word. Later that evening, something stirred Sister Marie. An interior prompting urged her to take a pen again. To her amazement, the words she wrote were clear. She did not understand what was happening. At 4:30 AM the next morning, she woke after her first good night's sleep in a long time. The pain was gone. The stiffness had vanished. Her body felt light. She leapt out of bed, something she had not done in years, and felt an overwhelming desire to pray before the blessed sacrament. Doctors would later confirm that her Parkinson's disease was gone. There was no medical explanation. This miracle led to John Paul II's beatification in 2011.

The second miracle occurred in Costa Rica and involved a woman named Floribeth Mora Diaz. In April of 2011, she suffered a severe brain aneurysm. Doctors told her family there was nothing more they could do. She was given a month to live. Surgery was deemed too risky, and so she was sent home to die as comfortably as possible. She immediately began to pray fervently for John Paul II to intercede. On May 1st of 2011, Floribeth watched the beatification of John Paul II on television with her family, and together, they prayed for his intercession. Later that night, Floribeth was awakened from sleep by these words: "Get up. Don't be afraid." She recognized the voice immediately: it was John Paul II. Getting out of bed, she was overwhelmed by an all-encompassing sense of peace, and her fear of dying completely evaporated. Despite doctors having said surgery was impossible and death imminent, follow-up scans showed the aneurysm had vanished. Doctors were confused and performed the tests a second time. The doctors were now stunned. There was absolutely no medical explanation. The second miracle fulfilled the final requirement for the canonization of Pope John Paul II, and more than a million people flocked to Rome to hear Pope Francis declare him a saint in 2014.

Every soul in heaven is a saint. We pray their ranks include our friends and family who have passed away. We hope we will be numbered among them one day. Only a very few of the saints in heaven are canonized. These canonized saints are a gift to the church on earth. They give us confidence that grace is accessible, holiness is possible, and that heaven is real. When was the last time you earnestly and persistently asked a saint to intervene for you in a specific way? John Paul II believed that each and every one of us is called to holiness. He championed the idea that men and women from all walks of life were made, created, to be saints, and that includes you and me. His writings constantly affirm this truth. These soul-stirring words are just a few examples. Do not be afraid to be saints. You are not made for comfort; you are made for greatness. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Open your hearts to the fullness of life that God offers. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a great catch. The world needs saints. Be saints. The future starts today, not tomorrow.

Trust, surrender, believe.

Receive.

Don't let the world steal your wonder.

In today's lesson, a life of heroic virtue means a person consistently and freely lives the Christian virtues to an extraordinary degree over time in ordinary and difficult circumstances without public recognition or self-interest. Virtue is considered heroic when it is consistent, not occasional, but a way of life. Freely chosen, not forced or performative. Joyful, even when costly, hidden, not motivated by recognition, persevering, sustained over years, not moments. This way of living is possible. This kind of holiness can be lived. You can do this. And today's virtue, boldness. Boldness is the virtue that empowers us to live and love without fear. It is not loud or aggressive, but steady and resolute.

Boldness trusts that God is at work even when the path ahead is unclear. It gives us the strength to ask difficult questions, to pray courageous prayers, and to remain faithful in moments of uncertainty. Boldness grows when we recognise that heaven is closer than we think, and that God has surrounded us with friends who intercede for us with love and power. Goethe once wrote, "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid." If you haven't yet picked up a copy of The Way of Surrender and Seasons of Surrender, pick up that bundle today. Press the button below. Amazing books. Go hand in hand with the assessment, which I hope you've already taken. But pick up a copy of those books today. Have a great day and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.

God of miracles, wonders, and grace. I thank you for all the good you have done in my life.

For the miracles I recognize.

And the many graces.

I so often overlook.

I open my heart completely to you today.

Inviting you.

To completely inhabit my soul.

So that through me

Others may encounter your love.

Your mercy.

Your compassion.

Your kindness.

And your staggering generosity.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Ambassadors. You are changing the world.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Have a great day